Lijiang

Today we traveled to Lijiang. It is a wonderful town in Yunnan province. We strolled along the cobblestone streets, where we saw lots of typical Chinese shops. Our group has become a family of close friends, and we are amazed at the sights and sounds of China. We were treated to an outstanding Naxi Music Performance. Some of us walked around at night to see the nightlife in the area. There wasn't much to do near our hotel, so we all went to sleep pretty early. On June 28th, we visited Jade Dragon Mountain. It was a nice hike, but it was cold. Several of us bought hot pink jackets that reminded me of the "pink ladies" from Grease. We have developed our own rating system for Chinese toilets, and as we travel to more rural areas we find the toilets get more and more primitive. We visited a Baisha village, where many of us purchased authentic foot-binding shoes to show students in our classrooms. We also visited the Donga Cultural Center, where we learned about Dongba--the last hieroglyphic language still used in the world today. I got the Dongba Shaman to write the Brookwood Middle School motto on a scroll for my classroom. This evening, some of us visited the Taco Bar and the New Amsterdam Pub. I even met a lady from Alabama who was teaching English in Lijiang. Greg and I "toasted" to a good trip, and (dragons that we are), we accidentally broke the drink glasses. The music in both places was great, especially "Wake me Up Before you Go-Go" and AC/DC's "Shook Me All Night Long." What a wonderful two days in Lijiang!